zuccini bread

This rainy weather's put me in a sad mood since I can't go out and play. But thankfully there's my mom's oven and a bunch of other stuff in our kitchen to keep me preoccupied.. Thankfully, my first attempt at zuccini bread turned out nicely!

I suggest you chop the zuccini using a processor, especially if you're impatient like me. I only used 2 zuccini's in my batter.

A part of me regrets leaving out the walnuts, and perhaps I shouldn't have chopped the zuccini so finely. People who tried it said they couldn't taste the zuccini that much, which was kind of a disappointment since I added a little more than what the recipe called for. Nevertheless, the bread wasn't too dry and it proved itself when I consumed it with tea :)

Mom's Zuccini Bread from Allrecipes.com

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Home for the Holidays: Carrot Cake

It's been a busy semester and since I have no access to a kitchen over the school year, this blog has been sorely neglected. But now that I have a month free from homework, exams, and projects, I can get back into baking! Carrot cake has always been a family favorite and isn't overwhelmingly sweet like chocolate, so it was nice to serve something lighter than usual, even if it probably wasn't any healthier as far as sweets go.

I used a recipe from About.com and it turned out beautifully!

2 cups baby shredded carrots

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

8 oz. crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shred baby carrots (this takes some time, but is well worth it).

In large bowl, combine oil, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs and beat well. Stir in half of the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix well.

Add carrots and pineapple and beat well. Then beat in remaining flour. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts and mix well. Pour into 13x9" pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes until dark golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched in center.

Since I baked two 9" round cakes, it only took about 20 minutes for it to be fully cooked through (my mom's oven is stronger than most). Be careful when setting a time and keep checking every now and then!

The cream cheese frosting was so simple, and since I was getting impatient I put it on the cake before it fully cooled. It melted a little, but I didn't mind.

8 oz. packaged cream cheese, cooled

6 tbsp. butter, cooled

2 cups powdered sugar

dash salt

2-4 tbsp. light cream

1 tsp. vanilla

The original recipe called for 3 cups of sugar, but I wanted this frosting to be both cream-cheesy and sweet. I added sugar and tasted every now and then until I thought it was good enough, which I estimate to be about 2 cups.

Parth used this recipe to make his parents an Anniversary cake! Isn't that sweet?